Nethergarment



A. WALKER.

NETHERGAHMENT.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 23, 1919.

1,334,823. Patented Mar. 23, 1920.

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uurrnn sTATEs PATENT orrron.

ALONSITA WALKER, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF CULUMBIA.

NETHEJELGARMENT.

To all whom it may concern:

lie it known that l, ALONSITA WALKER a citizen of the United States, residing at ll ashington, in the District of Columbia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Nethergarments, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in nether garments and there are several objccts and among them are the following, first, it takes the place of two other garments, namely a shirt or union suit or in fact any first garment, and a brassiere, thereby making two straps on the shoulders unnecessary.

Another advantage, and perhaps the most important object of all, is its function of flattening the bust and holding it 1n for evening dresses, or in factany dresses of thin material, with transparent sleeves and yokes and as a result of the application and uniform distribution of tension across the bust and from opposite sides upon a material which is calculated to withstand a certain amount of tension and strain, though light and thin, it has the effect of molding the figure perfectly and gives the feeling of a well fitted lining, and for women who are slightly stout it is particularly adapted because it reduces the fullness of the figure giving it the desired symmetry without distorting the general lines of a graceful figure. and at the same time without sacrifice of comfort or ease'and grace in the movement of the body.

With these and other objects in view my invention consists of an under garment provided at the upper edge with a brassiere which in reality forms a continuation therei of and may be stitched or otherwise secured thereto or be made as an integral part thereof, of thin and more or less invisible ma terial, substantially non-stretchable lengthwise or across the bust, with a sufficient amount of give up and down so that the leverage or tension, which is applied from opposite ends or in a direction across the bust is resisted and withstood by the material and applied with evenness and uniformitv to entire surface of the bust embraced by it, and the degree of pressure is regulated and attained to suit the requirements of the wearer by tapes or ribbons which are connected by substantially triangular tabs at the sides or ends, extending.

preferably beneath the arms, whence the tapes or ribbons are passed around the back Specification of Letters Patent. Patented 1W air, 23, 1920*,

Application filed April 23, 1919. Serial No.

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in opposite directions where they cross and their ends are brought around in front and tied, after being drawn as tight as desired.

In the accompanying drawings,

Figure 1, is a front view, and

Fig. 2, is a side view with the figure partly turned to show a portion of the back.

The niuneral 1 represents an under gariuent, in this instance a union suit, although it might obviously be a shirt or in fact any first garment of a. womans wearing apparel. To the upper edge of this article the brassiere 2., is stitched or otherwise secured so that the two are part and parcel of each other, which is regarded essential for the reason that the garment 1, is required to hold the brassiere down from beneath, with more or less uniformity all the way around.

The extended portion constituting the brassiere 2, is preferably made of soft but strong transparent and more or less invisible fabric, such as net, chiffon, or crepe de chine, of suitable width, and of more than one thickness, if found necessar to give the required strength, and it is possible and intended, to extend as high or as low as the wearer desires, according to the cut of the neck of the dress to be worn.

Two straps 3, usually of the same material as the brassiere, are worn over the shoulders and these two are all that are needed to support garment from above, while a narrow ribbon 4, is threaded through the upper edge and drawn together and tied in a knot 5, as the most convenient, to give the required tension at the upper edge. 4

At the opposite edges tabs 6, are stitched. These are generally triangular in outline and may be made ofthe same material as the remainder of the brassiere. One side of the triangular tabs 6, is stitched vertically as at 7 substantially throughout the width of the portion 2, and a tape or ribbon 8, extends from the .free end of each tab, and is adapted, as shown in the drawings, to be crossed at the back and brought around in front. they being drawn as tight as desired and then tied together in front, in a knot 9. thereby holding the wearer in.

It is important that the material forming the brassiere portion of the garment be out and applied lengthwise or across the bust with the strength of the material and so that any give or elasticity be up and down only, as the tension is alw'avs across from opposite sides and necessarily so in order to have the effectof flattening and holdin the figure in andvso disposed that it wil reduce without destroying the natural lines of a, well pro ortioned and graceful figure.

very part 'of the garment combines and cooperates, in greater or less degree, to the end of accomplishing the purposes of this invention "that is to say, the under garment,

the brassiere proper, the shoulder straps, the tabs, and tapes or ribbons, all unitedly perform theirpart in contributing to the success of this article, which is to flatten and confine the figure without losing any of the natural grace and symmetry of the form, all of which is accomplished with perfect comfort to the wearer, without the necessity of increasing the number of garments worn,

but by actually reducing them.

The invention is simply a. combination under garment, the two being, in effect, inseparable, when in use, and the lower garment a union suit, a shirt or'its equivalent and servneath, it extending over the bust, with slender straps extending over the shoulders and attached to the upper edge of the garment thereby supporting it from above, and tension means attached to the garment at opposite points and extending rearwardly in a direction beneath the arms so that when tightened they a ply pressure upon the bust from above and ownwardly with a flattening effeet which holds the bust down.

2. A nether garment which includes any first arment, having a brassiere attached .to

and orming an extension of its upper edge, 1

the extreme upper edge of which extends no higher than the arms of the wearer, tabs having their inner edges attached transversely at opposite sides of the brassiere with their free ends extended outwardly or in adirection toward and beneath the arms, and tapes .or ribbons secured to the outer ends of these tabs and of sufficient length to extend around the wearers back where they are crossed and thence around to the front at the waistline where they are adapted to be fastened together whereby to maintain a flattening and compressing effect upon the bust of the wearer.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

ALONSITA WALKER. 

